The present invention relates to cable ties.
During the preliminary stages of constructing an automobile, an automotive manufacturing team determines which electrical components, or options, (i.e., radio, lighter, cruise control, etc.) are going to be installed in the automobile. Once it has been determined which automotive components are going to be included, the manufacturing team assembles a harness outside of the automobile which will enable all of the particular automotive components selected to be electrically connected to a particular power supply in the automobile (i.e., battery, generator, etc.). The harness is constructed out of a plurality of interconnected electrical wires which are bundled together in a certain configuration to form a plurality of cables, the cables being commonly covered with a sheath of convoluted tubing. The harness is arranged into a configuration that enables the harness to fit within the automobile and that enables each automotive component be electrically connected to its associated power source.
The exact configuration of the wires of the harness are maintained by wrapping a plurality of harnessing devices around the harness at various locations.
Harnessing devices, such as cable ties, are well known in the art and commonly comprise an elongated strip of material, such as plastic, having a head at one end, a tail at the other end and either teeth or rungs disposed along the length of the strip. Feeding the tail of the tie through the head results in the tie taking the shape of a loop with the tail engaging and being locked in position by a pawl inside the head, the tail being incapable of removal once it is inserted in the head.
As an example of one type of cable tie, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,183,119 to J. H. Stewart et al, there is disclosed a harnessing device formed by a locking head and an attached serrated strap with gripper tails. The head contains a guide channel for receiving the strap after encirclement of the items to be harnessed, and an internal locking tang. The serrated strap has side rails which are proportioned to grip the encircled items. The desired gripping action is facilitated by the inclusion of serrations on the rails.
As an example of another type of cable tie, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,658,478 to J. R. Paradis there is disclosed a harnessing device for the bundling of objects which includes a locking head and a strap with teeth that are controlled by stretching. The locking head contains a pawl or tang that engages the teeth of the strap by wedging. A wedging tooth is desirably on the locking tang as well, and a further tooth to promote locking is desirably included in the locking head. The strap is advantageously molded of stretch reorientable material which is subsequently stretched to control the profile of the teeth which are engaged by the locking tang and head.
Typically, an automotive harness also comprises a plurality of automotive connectors which are electrically connected to particular wires in the harness. The automotive connectors serve to provide a means of connecting the harness to a particular automotive component or power source. Specifically, each automotive connector is sized and shaped to be matingly engageable with the electrical connector of the particular automotive component or power source. The connector often also includes a pair of rails or tracks into which can be slidably mounted the base portion of a fastener for attaching the connector to the firewall of the vehicle.
Once the harness has been manufactured in its proper configuration, the entire harness is positioned within the automobile. Once positioned within the automobile, the individual automotive connectors of the harness are connected to the connector of its associated automotive component or power source.
However, one drawback of the aforementioned manufacturing process is that if one electrical connector is mistakingly omitted from the harness or if there is a subsequent change in the selection of which automotive components are to be contained within the automobile, a proper electrical connection can not be made. As a result, the entire harness will have to be removed from the automobile for replacement, regardless of the amount of time and cost having been spent.
As a consequence, it is well known in the art for universal harnesses to be used in the manufacturing of automobiles. A universal harness is a harness which is configured to include an automotive connector for every potential automotive component which can be installed in an automobile. In this manner, the automobile is capable of having any automotive component installed without ever having to replace the particular harness.
However, it has been often found that automobiles which have a universal harness installed therein will include numerous automotive connectors which are not selected to be used to supply a particular automotive component power. As a result, many of the connectors remain unattached within the automobile. Leaving connectors, particularly the larger connectors, unattached within the automobile can cause the connectors to bounce within the automobile. This condition not only creates a significant safety hazard but also increases the noise level of the automobile, which is undesirable.
In response to the bouncing of the unattached connectors, it is well known in the automotive industry to fold the free connectors back against a cable in the harness and to wrap electrical tape to hold the connector against the cable, thereby limiting its movement.
However, the use of electrical tape to hold the unused connectors against the harness has significant drawbacks. As a first drawback, it has been found that electrical tape can be unreliable over time in holding the connector against the harness. As a result, if the tape breaks or loses its adhesiveness, the automotive connector will be free to bounce within the automobile. As a second drawback, after the automobile has been fully manufactured, a car owner may subsequently decide to install a particular component within the automobile. However, it has been found that cutting the electrical tape to free the necessary connector is often difficult to accomplish. Furthermore, it has been found that if the electrical tape is successfully cut, some of the adhesives of the tape may remain on the harness, which is undesirable.